Sketch of NGC 2024 (The Flame Nebula)Click image to view larger version. Observation Notes This year, I finally had opportunities to observe and sketch this amazing nebula in detail. The Flame Nebula snuggles the piercing glare of Zeta Orionis (Alnitak) and at first glance really does look like ghosting in...

NGC 2024 and its brilliant neighbor Alnitak are the subjects for the December 2009 Astronomy Now issue. While Alnitak can be a bit of a nuisance when observing the Flame Nebula, it also provides an opportunity to sketch a striking example of deep sky contrasts. Subject:NGC 2024 (Flame Nebula) and...

Sketch of Beta Monocerotis (Struve 919)Click image to view larger version. Observation Notes: Beta Monocerotis is a great multiple star. At low power, it appears to be a double star, but bumping up the magnification shows the eastern component to be a close double itself. Despite all three components being...

Sketch of Barnard 142/143 (Barnard's E)Click image to view larger version. Observation Notes Barnard's E was a beautiful binocular sight amid the mist of stars in the Milky Way. In addition to the three arms and upper stem of the 'E', there were additional faint points and webbed extensions primarily...

The Lunar crater, Ptolemaeus is the subject of the November 2009 Drawn to the Universe column. The focus is on creating a crater sketch along the rapidly changing terminator. In the tutorial, we use of 2H and HB pencils to shade the deep shadows and lighter surrounding terrain, while using...

Sketch of Ptolemaeus and SurroundingsMove mouse over sketch to see labels. Click image for larger version. Observation Notes: Despite the bad seeing, Ptolemaeus and friends were large and stark enough to put on a good show at 120X. An interesting pillar of shadow within Ptolemaeus seemed bulbous at its...